Robert Kesterson wrote:

> I didn't mean to say that the "one a day" diet was ketogenic, only 
> that it  was similar in the way it uses and replenishes glycogen 
> stores.  You are  quite right that ketosis is not likely if you're 
> eating carbs at that one  meal.


Well, in a ketogenic diet, the glycogen stores are not replenished--at 
least not fully.  Since some tissues require glucose, the result is that 
for at least part of each day there is no stored glucose for the tissues 
that need it, and fat is burned in the absence of glucose, and the 
result is ketosis.  But the way I'm doing this, I shouldn't really ever 
run out of glucose.

>
>> Beyond that, extended caloric restriction can cause the metabolism 
>> to  slow in other ways, such as reduction of body temperature.  The  
>> literature on CR suggests that this slowing is beneficial for 
>> longevity,  but I haven't experienced it yet.
>
>
> That's the rub, isn't it?  You won't know whether it extended your  
> lifespan until it's all over with.  As a good friend of mine once put 
> it,  "It's a shame that you can lead a great life, stay in great 
> shape, do  everything right, and in the end, you're just going to die 
> anyway."


That's the truth.  If this way of eating made me feel weak or 
uncomfortable, I wouldn't do it.  But as a general thing, it doesn't.  I 
sometimes feel hunger late in the afternoon, but psychologically that's 
easy to bear, since I know that in a few hours I will eat a very 
substantial meal.  When I tried this before, I think I wasn't eating 
enough in the evening.

> I didn't mean you were completely fasting -- but for 23 hours out of 
> the  24, you are.  That's what I meant by "no food at all".  If your 
> blood  sugar is back to baseline four hours after eating, then for 20 
> hours out  of 24 (80% of the time), your body is in a fasting state.


Okay, I see what you mean.  I guess the point is that fasting in this 
way should not cause any significant wasting of lean tissue.

A lot depends on insulin sensitivity.  A person with good insulin 
sensitivity will get a much smaller BG/insulin spike after any given 
meal.  But a person with insulin resistance may find that BG and insulin 
never get a chance to return to baseline during the course of a day if 
they are being reactivated every few hours with small meals.  This is 
what I want to avoid.

Todd Moody
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